


Thane, There Are Other Ways!

by AnnaDruvez



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Awkward Conversations, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-10-04 19:59:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17310908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnaDruvez/pseuds/AnnaDruvez
Summary: Garrus does not want to get involved in Shepard's relationship issues with Thane. He doesn't want to say a word. Good thing, since he can't seem to get a word in edgewise!





	Thane, There Are Other Ways!

“Someone has to die for a lung transplant my ass!” Shepard’s green eyes flash with anger as she nearly growls at him. “In case you missed it, we live in a society with goddamn cloning! I know it won’t fix the blood issue, but it might buy him time for the genetic research to get fucking done!”

Garrus, his fear making him feel even less like a turian than usual, had backed up against his calibration station and was now trying to figure out if he’d survive making a break for the door. “Uh…”

She scratched her fingers through her short black hair, dragging her nails across her scalp. She takes a deep breath, visibly forcing herself to calm down. “I know I should be saying this to Thane, but it was stand there and listen to him comment on how it’s better to die - and then kill him if that’s what he wants so much - or come in here and vent to you.”

“H-…” Garrus barely got a sound out before she cut him off, knowing what he was going to say.

“Yes, he told me he was dying the day we met. But, you’d think I meant enough that he’d at least want to try.” 

“She-,” Garrus tried to interrupt her, as he noticed Thane standing in the doorway, but she spoke over him. 

“I know that he feels he needs to atone. I know he misses Irikah. But, you’d think the best way to pay for the guilt would be to live longer and do more good. And, I’m pretty damned sure Irikah’d want him to live a long, healthy and happy life from the way he talks about her.” 

“She-,” Garrus tried again, only to be once again cut off. Thane’s head had cocked slightly while he listened to her tirade. At least he didn’t seem angry, though it was hard for Garrus to tell even when he was. His dark eyes were locked onto Shepard and he was frowning slightly.

“When he first signed on? Okay. Great. Semi-suicidal and ready to go out in a blaze of glory. Now? I got attached. It was stupid. I know it was stupid. It’s going to tear me apart to watch him die. That there are things he could do to stop it and he’s not trying is just fucking infuriating. But, no one gets me like he does. Except you, but that’d be like romancing my brother, you know?”

Thane’s head had tilted the other direction and he’d gone more still than usual. Garrus wasn't sure who was more dangerous. Should he be staring at the potentially lethal assassin that had been - unfortunately for his continued health - just indirectly informed that Garrus could have been competition if he wasn’t - fortunately for said health - more like a sibling? Or should he be watching the rampaging biotic with anger management issues and a tendency to express them via mass relay detonation? Thankfully, Shepard didn’t notice his lack of attention, but he missed the chance to interrupt.

“I mean, even if it’s an extra few years, there’s so much more we could do - tour some deserts, stomp out some slavers, tear the Illusive Man a new asshole, whatever! We could team up with Kasumi and steal the Citadel. Bet that would get the Council moving - if it vanished while they were napping!”

Thane’s expression was harder to read than usual. Garrus was fairly certain he looked sad at the start and then on the border of possessive rage, but now his lips were twitching. Was it amusement? Maybe? “She-…”

“Hell, I don’t know. We could all three of us go clean up Omega. Finish what you started. It’d be hilarious as hell to see the look on Aria’s face if all the gang members kept dying. I bet he’d even be able to figure out a way that no one would know it was us. Sneaky basta-”

“Siha.” Compared to Garrus’ attempts at interruption, it was almost a whisper. He resisted the urge to mimic a human facepalm at how her attention was immediately diverted. The way her fury-reddened cheeks suddenly went pale was both funny and worrying. Could humans die from that?

She whirled around. “Th-thane. Um….”

“Does it really mean so much to you?” The assassin moved closer and Garrus was now torn between bolting for the door and the same urge to stare that he got when a Thanix canon blasted a capital ship. Considering both Shepard and the assassin were between him and the door, he wasn’t sure he’d make it if he bolted. Of course, watching this interaction could get him killed, too.

Humans cited ‘win-win’ situations often enough, did they have an expression for ‘fail-fail’?

He decided now was probably not the time to ask.

“Seriously!?” Sparks danced over Shepard’s skin. Just like that, Garrus mused, she went from horror to combat ready. Her ability to go from zero to homicide was a great advantage in the field, but terrifying as hell when you were in blast range. “I’m in love with you, you goddamn idiot! Of course it does!”

Thane was far braver than he, Garrus acknowledged. Thane willingly walked right up to Mount Shepard while ignoring the smoke that heralded her eruption. His hands rested lightly on her hips as she glared up at him. He didn’t even have the decency to twitch when her biotic energy snapped at his fingers.

“Very well, Siha. I will talk to Mordin and Chakwas about alternatives.” 

She stared at him for several seconds before throwing her arms around his shoulders and kissing him. There was no argument from the drell - one of Thane’s hands settled at the base of her spine to pull her closer and the other slid up into her hair. 

Garrus did not want to see this and decided this was the best chance to escape that he was going to get. He snuck out the door as quietly as he could. He had no doubt that Thane knew where he was the entire time. Luckily, the assassin was too occupied to care.

**Author's Note:**

> Seriously? You can clone people. You can imprint memories. But, you can't fix one genetic disease? Come on. Thane did not have to die.


End file.
